a fear that there will be a reinforcement. charged in the british phone hacking scandal. two land in legal trouble, including rebecca brookes. and getting into the olympics. beach volleyball. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. tonight, the fighting in syria has escalated even further, with firsthand accounts forces have used fighter jets to bomb the city of aleppo. rebel fighters launched an offensive to try to get control of the area from the army.

our correspondent and cameraman are there and have the very latest. >> it is the islamic month of ramadan, so when the sun goes down, another day of fighting, and in syria, the rebel army comes out to fight. we joined a convoy on a highly dangerous mission to aleppo, headlights off to avoid being seen, passing under the nose of government troops and into serious second city, where the insurgency has found its love this voice -- its loudest voice. many here are desperate for the rebels suit -- to succeed, clamoring for freedom denied by their president, but as the rebels take over this district, what many fear they will see is

an osmotic takeover that will unleash a whirlwind of division and bloodshed across the region. hundreds, perhaps as many as 1000, rebel fighters have pushed into this part of aleppo city. as you can see, they have set up barricades. there is fear that reinforcements will be there. by daylight, rebel snipers, copying army tactics. they control a number of districts and are ready to defend them. it was another day of intensified in as the fighters tried to extend their control. and to seek revenge.

against men they accused. accused of being members of the brutal militia. there is little justice on either side here. losing the city would be a potential fatal blow to the president's, and today, the battle began. there were helicopters firing at rebel positions, but even with a tank they captured from the army, the fighters are vastly outgunned. what happens next marked a dramatic escalation. for the first time, fighter jets took to the skies, strafing the ground. a mark of how desperate the government has become.

so the last word goes to the victims. to the wounded. and to the dead. one woman almost looks like she was sleeping, but she was killed today by an artillery shell. only the victims are blameless here, and there will be more of them. bbc news, in aleppo city. >> syria is just one of the many topics that have become fodder on the campaign trail in the u.s. this has offered a glimpse into how president obama and mitt romney would approach the world beyond the american shores. both candidates have spoken to veterans of foreign wars in recent days, and mitt romney's said this about his opponent. >> it is simple. if you do not want america to be

the strongest nation on earth, i am not your president, but with his cuts to the military, you have that president today. the 21st century can and must be a 21st century. terror, war, economic calamity. it is our need to steer it into the path of peace and prosperity. >> republican mitt romney there, and just yesterday, president obama was before the same group making his case by listing the accomplishments of his administration. >> we have worked with our allies to take out more al qaeda leaders at any time since 2011, and thanks to our forces, osama bin laden will never hurt us again, and al qaeda is on the road to defeat. >> i am being joined by our washington, d.c. correspondent,

paul adam. an american century. is there a sense that the american place in the world is slipping, and do they care when they are more worried about the economy? >> they are more worried about the economy, but the anxiety, are americans behind it, or in the words of that famous super bowl advertising, is america about to come back, that is something both men are tapping into. both are saying this will be an american 21st century. it is perhaps a little bit more important for mitt romney because it is the sort of talk that that goes well with the american base. this is an unchallenged way across the global stage. that line, by the way, about not voting for me if you do not want america to be the strongest nation on earth is clearly something that he gave a speech last year in charleston.

it went down well, and he has continued to use it. for all of this talk about americans drink, he did not talk about practical ways to boost american defenses. he talked about increasing ship building. we cannot really afford that kind of thing right now. >> and he has got, some would say, quite a tough opponent in obama, because he did kill osama bin laden. he has ended the war in iraq. where can mitt romney actually score some points here? >> it is very difficult. this is not jimmy carter he is up against. this is a man with a very considerable foreign policy record and one that is robust, to say the least, but i think there are some areas where he can score points. he went on about intelligence links, and i think that bothers a lot of people. whether it bothers the electorate, i do not know. and afghanistan, that is

something that causes a great deal of concern in military intelligence circles, but we wonder how much the people care, because most just want to get out. i think it is a legitimate case to raise as a matter of concern. he did say he would order a full review. he did not report that line. that may be getting a little too close to 2014 to begin telling the allies," we are changing everything." >> what to achieve? >> a pretty formulate trip, particularly when you compare it to the barack obama barnstorming tour four years ago. his aides are downplaying expectations, saying it is all about listening and learning, not about speaking, but i think at a time when mitt romney still has a problem defining himself, i do not think this will do much for him. >> paul adams, thank you for the interesting inside there.

the fallout from the phone hacking scandal in britain continues. the former communications chief, andy coulson, along with rebekah brooks are among those formally charged. both have denied any involvement. here is our correspondent, tom diamond. >> it has taken 19 months, up to 100 police officers. they raided the homes of reporters and executives, but for the accused, today was d- day. >> this is being considered. applying a two-stage test, i have completed cases on eight of those 13 suspects that there is a realistic prospect for conviction. >> in all, there are 19 charges

of illegally intercepted communications. the former chief executive of news international, rebekah brooks, is facing charges. the news, she said, left her distressed and angry. and another faces five counts. they are among those accused of packing a teenar's telephone while police were searching for her -- of hacking a teenager's phone call -- telephone. >> i did not do anything to damage that investigation. at the news of the world, we worked on behalf of the but the unsubscribe, a protector of violent crime, and the idea than but i would sit in my office dreaming up schemes to undermined investigations is simply untrue. >> one veteran reporter denies

the same accusation, as does the original phone hacker, who is facing new charges. this is his statement. >> i am extremely disappointed by today's decision, given that in 2006, i was the subject of a comprehensive police examination in this matter. i intend to fight this strenuously. >> news international already admitted hacking the funds of many, but today, the alleged to was responsible for targeting specific victims, including specific celebrities like brad pitt and angelina jolie. also, people not in the public eye. there was a woman whose voice mail to him was intercepted. >> after the visit from the detectives, i shook for about two hours. while they were plainly the

voice mail, i had to go upstairs and throw up. i felt very sick. i did not think anybody in the room could believe what we were hearing. it was utterly, utterly shocking. >> it is likely to be months before a trial, a magistrate court hearing is expected shortly. the maximum sentence for intercepting communications is two years in prison. bbc news. >> and other news now from around the world, the president of gonna -- gahna has died. he died at a military hospital. he had been suffering from throat cancer. the new elected president of egypt has named a prime minister. he has been asked to form a government. the president is from the muslim brotherhood but has promised a government that would be inclusive with women and

christians represented. for a second day, the financial markets in europe and the united states have taken a beating, and it appears that spain will need a bailout in the coming months. borrowing rates have risen again, and it is shaking an already fragile euro zone. our reporter reports. >> spain, once again today under fierce pressure from the markets. take barcelona, capital of catalonia, just the latest spanish region to admit it has financing problems. the debts of the regions are increasing the likelihood that spain itself may eventually

told us he was investigating tapping into funds set up through the spanish government. >> our normal budget. either from the banks are what we will get three financial schemes, it set up through the spanish government. >> in barcelona, projects have been abandoned. a loop -- for the metro shelf. but none almost empty, of these cuts are enough. many of the spanish regions are in deep financial trouble. schools and hospitals have been warned they will not get all of their funding right now. the fact is that catalonia alone has debts of over 40 billion euros, and one way or another, that will have to be financed. in spain, they made billions of euros to cover their debts until the end of the year. they were already offered 100 billion euros, but that was for the banking sector. there are fears growing it will need a general bela of anywhere up to 350 billion euros. -- they will need a general bailout.

the olook even for germany has been outlawed from stable to negative, and one of the reasons is the financial burden of rescuing spain and italy. >> when it comes to a further bailouts, the sense in germany is that we have already done enough and that we have reached a point where we have to say that this whole mechanism really works. >> in greece today, there were protests before a visit from international inspectors to judge whether greece has done enough to meet its bailout conditions. for the moment, the focus of this crisis remains spain. with its economy shrinking, battling to avoid a genal bailout that the euro zone would struggle to cope with. bbc news, spain. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, the beach comes to britain.

we will see how the volleyball teams are warming up for the olympic games. scientists think they could be on the verge of a medical breakthrough with the discovery to treat tuberculosis, the first in many years, which has produced early promising results. we report. >> there have been no new medications to treat tuberculosis in four decades, and in that time, the disease has remained a deadly and stubborn, turning into the leading killer of people with aids. her living conditions of the kinds that many have to endure in slums and the developing rock, like this one in the kenyan capital of nairobi, make it more challenging to control it environments where it is spread through coughing and sneezing. ventilation often makes it worse. it is estimated it kills 1.5 million people a year and that around 9 million will become

newly infected. while drug resistance is a growing problem, meeting some people have to take over 12,600 tablets overtime. this could be brought down to 360. they say, too, that this experimental drug cocktail they also compatible with aids medicine. some of the current treatments interact badly. the international aids conference, taking place in washington, has told that the new combination of three drugs killed 99% of the tuberculosis bacteria in patients. the problem is being able to speed up treatment and help produce the emergence of resistant forms of tuberculosis. there is cautious optimism. one of the meeting cochairs says we are at the dawn of a new era. the findings will need to be confirmed in bigger and longer

trials. bbc news. >> now, to the democratic republic of congo, where is a serious crisis as soldiers advance through eastern areas. the group calls itself m23, and it is accused of raping and recruiting by force. the government of uganda -- of uganda denies there is a link. rebel controlled territory. >> welcome to this area where there is an uneasy sense of calm by day as the rebels patrol. by night, they say it becomes a frightening and dangerous place, where a drunken soldiers are on the streets. the rebel ranks are swelled by

defectors, disillusioned by the dismal conditions in the army. >> [speaking foreign language] >> he defected. he said he and his men spent days fighting in the bush withoufood. he is convinced the army cannot win. they do not appear to have huge numbers, but this is not a rebel force that is growing in confidence. until a few weeks ago, there is a sizable number of peacekeepers here as well as congolese army, but they melted away in the face of the rebel advance, and this is part of a growing territory that is controlled by the rebels. the fighting has forced more than two wondered thousand people from their palms. some of them have fled just across the border inside uganda. they have told stories of rape and of young men, even boys,

been forced to fight. the rebels denied these charges and that their movement is being supported by neighboring rwanda. but many of these men are veterans of an earlier conflict. there were the ethnic hutu killers to fled in the aftermath of the genocide. outside rebel-held areas, united nations peacekeepers are now helping the congolese government come back further advances. -- to fight further aances. >> we are here to support the congolese government and its army in dealing with the armed groups and particularly where it is a threat to the local population. >> but in the main town of goma, they are skeptical that have what it takes to protect them. "we have no confidence in them," this man told us.

and failure to restore stability here could lead to a wider conflict, one that threatens to in join neighboring countries as well. gabriel gatehouse, bbc news, in eastern congo. >> the continuing conflict and the democratic republic of congo. and now to our continuing series about try their luck at an olympic sport. today, it is volleyball that is serving up fun. it has made its debut and has swiftly become one of the most favorite parts of the games. my colleague has gone to get a few pointers. >> the focus in london has been on the redevelopment in the east and the olympic path, but this is the heart of historical london. buckingham palace is just off the road -- up the road. downing street every year, and behind me -- there will be

15,000 spectators who will come down here every day to take a look. you never know. the prime minister's residence backs on to the venue. he may pop out and take a quick peek. >> moving around and jumping up. a lot has happened. yes. >> and what about the image of the game? the guys like to come down and see the girls play. >> we know that is the image of beach volleyball at the moment. once people come down and see what the sport in tails, the kind of got away with a different perspective of this sport them what they came with. that i am notce

wearing the it -- i am not that great. completely covered up. they are used to wearing their bikinis. it makes sense on the beach. >> you put one hand on top of the other. you want to play the ball right here. yes. >> are you ready? >> i am ready. jump ♪mp, go ahead and >> the girls are all very encouraging. i am hot and tired. it is so much more work than you can possibly imagine, and clearly the relationship between the players is incredibly important.

my goal was just to try and hit the ball. >> that looks like fun. lucy there, trying her hand at beach volleyball, and that brings today's show to a close, but remember, you can find constant updates on the london games and all the rest of the news on our website. i ajane o'brien. for all of us here at "bbc world news america," thanks for watching. see you tomorrow. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, union bank, and shell. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you

operate in, working to nurture capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.

and i've got my special whistle, which means it's time to get up and exercise! [bugle] wow! it's also time to get a new whistle. ok, now, let's get moving because today, we're going to exercise like dinosaurs. ♪ move those feet and stomp ♪ through the forest like a stegosaurus ♪ ♪ and watch the ground shake ♪ now flap those wings like a pteranodon through the sky ♪ ♪ just flap those wings and do your thing ♪ ♪ now shake your tail, your dino tail ♪ ♪ just shake shake shake ♪ short or long ♪ just shake your tail to this song ♪

awesome job! and if you want to try out more exercises with me, just visit pbskids.org anytime you want. see you soon! (george chattering excitedly) this program was made possible by: [ female announcer ] fun for everyone makes a family strong. chuck e. cheese's proudly supports pbs kids. for over 90 years, stride rite's been there, from the first wobbly walk to the first day of school, helping you choose the right shoes. stride rite is a proud sponsor of curious george. can fuel a lifetime of learning. abcmouse.com early learning academy, proud sponsor of pbs kids and curious george.

funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station... ooh. ...and from: ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by nbc/universal